Hair curler



April 12, 1949. H. B. WALTON E.TAl

HAIR CURLER Filed May 2L 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 12, 1949. H. B WALTON ETAL HAIR CURLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2l 1946 Patented Apr. 12, 1949 HAIR CURLER Henry Bowyer Walton and Linda. Ellen Amalia. Walton, London, England Application May 21, 1946',

In G'reatBritain May 28,

4' Claims. 1

This invention relates' to hair curlers, and has for its obiectto provide a hair curler, whereby a curl is imparted to the hair by pressure alone, withoutthe hair beingwound upon any permanerit supporting core.

Ahair curler according to the present invention comprises a frame, a cover member hinge'dly mounted-on theframe, and a base plate, thewhole or part of which is slidableon the frame whereby the-cover member and base plate maybe detachably secured together, the arrangementbeing such that when the curler is in its open position the hair can be placed on the base plate in the form of a curl and the cover then secured to the base plate, therebyplacingthe curl under pressurebetween the'cover and base plate.

Preferably the frame is substantially rectangulai 'and m'ay'consist of wire, the cover-member beingsubstantially similar in-shape, and at on'eend bent upon-itself to form a hinge on one partof the frame. Thecover member and base plate may also be provided with perforations or slots-to allow air accessto the hair when in the curler. The base plate preferably has incorporated therewitha toothed surface similar to a comb.

The members forming the curler may be of anysuitable material such, for example, as metal, bone, horn, wood, plastics or thelike, and may be of any desired shape, whilst the cover member mayhaveany desired ornamentation thereon.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany ing drawings in which Figure 1 shows a hair curler 'in partly open position and'Figure 2 shows a modified construction. Figures 3, i, and 6 show the curler invarious stages of operation to secure it to-the head, whilst Figure 7 illustrates a further application of the curlershown in Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1 the hair curler comprises a rectangular frame of thin wire I on which is hingedly mounted a cover plate 2 substantially rectangular in shape, the cover member being ati-one end-bent upon itselfsoas to form thehinge connection 3'with the. frame. The cover member which is of aflexible resilient nature is slightly curved to provide a convexity upon its outer surfaceand at the end remote from the hinge is bonito providea'portion 4 the purposeof which will be described below. Slidably mounted on the frame I is a base plate 5 provided with teeth 6 to form a comb portion. Both the cover member 2 and the base plate 5 are provided with a plurality of perforations I, 8 respectively. The base plate project-s beyond the lower edge of the frame,

Serial No. 671,271 1945 that is to say the edge diametrically--oppositethe hinge connection between the frame and-cover. In order that the base plate can slide relative-to the frame the two sides of the base plate are turned soaS partly to enclose the "side members of the frame, the arrangement being suchthat the wire of the frame, when movement'between the frame and'base plate-occurs, binds'in the overturned parts of the base plateso that the members are not freely slidable with respect'to one another, but allow acertain amount of play when the parts are in operative position.

Referring to Figure 2 the'base plate 515 rounded at one end as at H! in lieuof being provided with a comb portion, the: cover 2 being provided with a turned over lip H which looks under the base plate 5 by the sliding on the wire frame of'the cover and base plate in respect to one another. Theprov'ision of the curved portion'iil prevents a kink being formed in the curl, which would arise were the curved portion Ill made straight. The cover 2 is also provided with side portions l2 which, when the curler is closed, serve to prevent the curl enclosed thereinslipping sideways out of the curler.

It will be appreciated that such side exten sions i2 may beprovidedin the curler shown in Figure 1, whilst the base plate shown inFi'gure 2 may be interchanged with that shown in Figure 1.

In order to utilise the curler shown in Figure 1 or 2 reference will now bemade to Figures 3 to 6 inclusive, it being appreciated that the curler illustrated in these views is of the formshown in Figure 1, but that't-he form shown in Figure 2 may equally well be employed.

A strand of hair 13 is partedfrom the head and the base plate 5 of the curler is-slidden to the lower extremity of the frame I with the cover in'the open position. The'strand of hair is-then inserted through the hole in the frame by the thumb; then holding the end of the strand of hair by the fingers of one hand the curler, still being in the extended and open position, is pressed close or as close as desired to the head with the other hand, the cover and base plate thenbeing slidden with respect to one another, so that the strand of hair by this action is made to' engage with the cornbfi by the hinge l3 of the cover; The curler in the open position, but not now in the extended position, is thus firmly fixed adjacent to the head and both hands are left free. The strand of hair [3 is then formed into a curl by any normally used method, for example with the fingers, or the hair may be wound round an ordinary pencil or rounded former 14. The former ['4 is then withdrawn. The curl is pinched fiat between the thumb and, for example, first and second fingers and placed on the base plate 5 of the curler, the curl thus formed being shown in Figure 5. The next operation is to move the cover 2 about its hinge to its closed position and the member 5 is slidden on the frame so as to engage the portion 4 of the cover 2, whereby the curler is locked in closed position, i. e., the cover member is prevented from pivotal movement at the hinge. It will be appreciated that in this position the curl is under pressure between the base plate and cover of the curler. As it is usual slightly to damp the hair when forming a curl, the perforations 1, 8 allow circulation of air into the curler to dry the curl held therein.

Referring to Figure 7 it has already been stated that the cover 2 is of a resilient nature and in order to allow the curler to be employed with either thin or thick hair, or on a large or small quantity of hair in the curler, the cover 2 may be bent to varying degrees, for example to a fairly large arc, as shown in dotted lines, Figure '7. The inter-sliding of the cover and base plate on the frame in all cases allows for and compensates for the extension or diminution of the length of the cover as a consequence of the variation of its arc. Slidably mounted on the frame is a U-shaped member 9 spaced apart from the base plate 5, which U-shaped member 9 is adapted to cooperate with the portion 5 of the cover member 2, when the curler is in use, that is to say it forms with the cover member a lock to maintain the curler in closed operative position.

In all the above constructions the base plate is substantially hat on its under-surface or slightly, but only slightly, curved to conform to the shape of the head thus to allow it to lie substantially fiat on the head when in position.

With a curler made in accordance with the present invention it is readily possible with even the straightest of hair quickly to curl the hair, and by using a number of such curlers any desired coiifure can be obtained. A large or small curl can be made, and the curl can be inward or outward, whilst the design of coiffure employed can very readily and quickly "be changed, due to the fact that the curl is pressed into the hair itself; for example, if :a large curl be made by the use of one or more curlers, and the large curl be desired to be made into a number of smaller curls, for example a cluster of curls, it is only necessary to comb through the curl, separate the curl into a number of strands and separately to comb each strand into another curl. The curlers, due to their shape, can with comfort be left in position on the head for a considerable period, for example throughout the night, without any discomfort, and due to the resiliency and construction of the materials employed for the various parts of the curler, which materials are preferably employed in a very thin state, any pressure on the head when the curlers are in position merely serves to increase the pressure on the curl, and does not cause discomfort to the wearer.

Furthermore the curler may be ornamented in any desired manner so that it can be left in the hair and instead of being unsightly be ornamental and due to its shape the curler can be worn without discomfort under a scarf, hat or other headdress.

Furthermore, when taking the curler ofi, it will be appreciated that on opening the cover and withdrawing the curler from the head the comb portion combs through the fiat curl formed, thus transforming the flat curl into a perfect round graceful curl, and it may be unnecessary further to comb the hair once the curlers have been taken off. On the other hand such is the strength of the curl imparted to the hair by the curler that any amount of brushing or combing the hair does nothing to impair the curl but in fact improves it.

What we claim is:

1. A hair curler comprising a substantially rectangular frame having an internal open area for receiving a strand of hair to be curled, a base plate carried by said frame and slidable thereon to close said area and underlie said strand when curled, a cover plate hinged at one end of said frame and adapted, when closed, to overlie said curled strand and base plate, and means for looking said cover and base plates in closed position with said curl interposed therebetween.

2. A hair curler comprising a substantially rectangular frame having an internal open area for receiving a strand of hair to be curled, a base plate carried by said frame and slidable thereon to close said area and underlie said strand when curled, a cover plate hinged at one end of said frame and adapted, when closed, to overlie said curled strand and base plate, and means on one of said plates for engaging the other to lock the two in closed position.

3. A hair curler comprising a substantially rectangular frame of resilient material adapted to receive a strand of hair for curling, a base plate carried by said frame and slidable thereon to underlie said strand of hair when curled, an arched cover plate hinged at one end of said frame and adapted, when closed, to overlie said curled strand and base plate, and means for locking said cover and base plates in closed position with said curl interposed therebetween.

4. A hair curler as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking means comprises a member slidably mounted on the frame for engagement with the cover to hold the parts of the curler in locked relationship.

HENRY BOWYER WALTON. LINDA ELLEN AMALIA WALTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 492,561 Seidell Feb. 28, 1893 1,042,940 McConnell Oct. 29, 1912 1,708,467 Cahill Apr. 9, 1929 1,763,100 Mendosa June 10, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 328,402 Germany Oct. 29, 1920 

